Device for delivering orders to moving trains.



No. 673,885. Patented May I4, I90I. C. E. MURRAY.

DEVICE FOR DELIVERING ORDERS T0 MOVING TRAINS.

(Application filed Nov. 28, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNiTn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. MURRAY, OF GREENVILLE, VIRGINIA.

DEVICEFOR DELIVERING ORDERS T0 MOVINGTRAI'VNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,885, dated May 14, 1901.

' Application filed November 28, 1900. $erial No. 38,033. (No model.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Green ville, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Device for Delivering .Orders to Moving Trains, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a novel device for delivering railway orders, messages, &c., to the engineers and conductors of moving trains, the object being to provide a simple device equipped with a series of holders arranged to hold the order or message in position to be grasped and removed by the engineer or conductor, as the case may be, and to efiect the automatic presentation of a successive holder in such position upon the removal of the order from the holder disposed for delivery.

Certain railway orders known, for instance, as 19 do not require the signature of the trainmen and are therefore delivered to them by the operator as the train passes the station under full speed. This procedure is exceedingly dangerous, as it renders the operator liable to be struck by projecting parts of the train and, furthermore, frequently results in the failure of the trainmen to grasp the order, with the result that it is necessary to stop and back the train, With a consequent loss of time. My device is therefore designed to retain a series of orders arranged for successive presentation in close proximity to the moving train in order that the engineer and conductor may readily grasp and detach the orders intended for their guidance, the several orderholders being so arranged that the removal of an order from the holder disposed in its delivering position will automatically effect the presentation of the next loaded holder or one in which an order has been inserted, any unloaded or empty holders which may intervene being permitted to pass the delivering-point without interruption.

To the accomplishment of the objects stated the invention consists in providing an orderdelivery stand adjustable as to height and equipped with a series of holders provided with stop mechanism arranged to stop the holder 'when it reaches the position of delivery, provided such holder is loaded or supplied With an order or message for delivery to the moving train.

The invention consists in certain other features of construction and arrangement, all as will hereinafter more fully appear in view of the following description of the preferred embodiment of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device complete, showing a loaded holder in the delivering position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the device on a somewhat-enlarged scale, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a possible variation of the construction. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of clip.

Referring to the numerals employed to designate corresponding parts in the several views, 1 indicates an extensible postcoinprising telescopic post-sections 2 and 3, one of which is provided with an abutment-screw 4 for securing the post-sections in their adjusted positions. The post 1 may be supported in any suitable manner; but the section 2 is preferably provided at its lower end with a series of legs 5, and from the upper post-sea tion 4 are extended laterally a pair of parallel horizontal arms 6 and 7. These arms serve at or adjacent to their outer ends as supports for a rotary holder-carriage comprising a central shaft 8, journaled atpr adjacent to its opposite ends in the arms 6 and '7 and provided with upper and lower series of radiating hold er-arms 9 and 10, which are disposed in the same vertical p1anes-that is to say, each of the upper arms is arranged directly above one of the lower armsin order that the envelop 1]., containing the orders, may have its opposite ends clipped upon the outer ends of said arms by the pivoted clips 12 and 13, disposed, respectively, above and below the arms 9 and 10 and having their outer ends yieldingly urged against said arms by the springs 14: and 15. Each of the holder-clips upon the upper series of holder-arms is connected at its inner end to a depending stoprod 16, passed through the adjacent arms 9 and 10 and designed when the holders are loaded to strike against a stop-lug or projection 17, projecting upwardly from the standarm7 beyond the shaft of the carriage. \Vhen the holder is loaded, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the outer end of the clip will be raised slightly by the end of the envelop interposed between it and the holder-arm 9. The etfect of this will be to depress the inner end of the clip to cause the lower end of the stop-rod to project a sufficient distance below the arm 10 to strike against the stop-lug 17. Thus upon the removal of the order the spring 14 will return the clip to its original position, effecting the elevation of the stop-rod above the lug 17 to permit the rotation of the carriage for the purpose of bringing a succeeding holder to the delivering position. At this point the holder, if loaded, will be stopped:

. by the presentation of its stop-rod to the stoplug; but if the holder be empty the rotation of the carriage will continue until the loaded holder has reached the delivering position, where it will be retained in the manner specified.

Inasmuch as it is desired to make the operation of the device entirely automatic, I have devised a simple motor for rotating the holder carriage. This motor comprises a weight 18, preferably housed within the upper hollow post-section 3' and supported by a cable 19, passed over a pulley 20 at the upper end of the post and wound upon a drum 21, secured to the upper end of the shaft 8 of the holder-carriage above the stand-arm 6. The weight 18 exerts a constant tendency to rotate the holder-carriage, and therefore as soon as the order is removed from the holder located in the delivering position the stoprod of said holder will be drawn up and the motor will rotate the carriage to automatically present succeeding holders in the delivering position, at which point such holders as are loaded will be automatically stopped and retained until the removal of the order effects 3 a repetition of the automatic replacement by another holder.

Forthe purpose of insuring sufficient movement of the clips to depress the stop-rods into engagement with the stop-lug 17, the arms 9 may be provided with upstanding projections 9, which are received within slots or recesses 12 in the outer ends of the clip when the lati ter are empty. When the clips are filled, the 3 envelop or order will rest upon the projection 1 and hold the clip in proper position.

For the purpose of attracting the attention of the trainmen, a signal-flag 22 may be displayed upon the stand by day and a lamp 23 by night; but these devices constitute no part of my invention and are referred to merely as incidents to the use of the apparatus.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a possible variation of the preferred construction comprehending the application of a spring to the stop-rod instead of to the clip, the inner end of the clip in this instance being connected to the rod preferably at a point below the arm 9, against which the spring bears.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a modified form of clip constructed of stout wire and receiving the projection l2 within its loop.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have produced a simple and efiective orderdelivering apparatus embodying a construction best calculated to effect the accomplishment of the several objects stated; but while the present embodiment of my invention appears at this time to be preferable I desire to' reserve the right to effect such changes, modifications, and variations as may be suggested by experience and experiment, so long as they are embodied within the scope of the protection prayed.

What I claim is 1. An order-delivering device comprising a series of holders and means for automatically presenting said holders successively and repeatedly in the delivering position without resetting the device.

2. An orderdelivering device comprising a series of holders, and means for displacing and replacing-aholder automatically upon the removal of the order, and for eifecting such displacement and replacement repeatedly without resetting the device.

3. An order-delivering device com prising a movable holdercarriage provided with a series of holders, means for urging the carriage to present the holders successively and repeatedly in the delivering position without reversing the movement of the carriage, and means for retaining a loaded holder in the delivering position and for permitting its movement from such position upon the removal of the order.

4:. An order-delivering device comprising a carriage rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with a series of order-holders, means for urging the carriage to present the holders successively in the delivering position, and stop devices controlled by separate holders and located, by the loading of the holder, in

position to effect the retention of said holder in the delivering position and operated by the unloading of the holder to permit the replacement of the latter.

5. In an order-delivering device, the combination with a motor-driven holder-carriage provided with a series of holders, and means for retaining the holders successively in the delivering position.

6. In an order-delivering device, the combination with a motor-driven carriage rotatable on a vertical axis and provided with a series of holders, and stop devices separate from but connected with the holders and disposed in operative position to retain the holder in its delivering position only when the holder is loaded.

7. An order-delivering device comprising a movable carriage provided with a series of holders each comprising a movable clip designed to retain the order, a stop-rod connected to each of said clips, and a projection disposed in the path of said rod only when the clip to which the rod is attached is in position to retain the order.

8. An order-delivering device comprising a motor-driven rotary carriage provided with a series of holders, each of said holders comprising a movable clip and a stop-rod connected to said clip, and a stop-lug disposed in the path of movement of said stop-rods in one position of the connected clip.

9. An order-delivering device comprising a hollow post provided with laterally-extending arms, a rotary holder-carriage supported between the arms and provided with a series of holders, a drum connected to said carriage, a weight movable Within the post, and a cable extending from the Weight and wound upon the drum.

10. An order-delivering device comprising an extensible post, order-delivering mechanism supported by the post, and a motor located within the post and operatively connected with the order-delivering mechanism.

11. An order-delivering device comprising a movable carriage, clips arranged to clamp the order against the carriage, means for moving the carriage to present the clips successively in the delivering position, and means for retaining each of said clips in such position until the order secured thereto has been delivered.

12. An order-delivering device comprising a rotary carriage provided With a series of radial arms, spring-clips carried by the arms, stop devices connected to the clips, and projections disposed to obstruct the movement of said stop devices only, when the clips are engaged with an order.

13. An order-delivering device comprising a post provided with laterally-extendi n g arms, a rotary holder-carriage supported between the arms and provided with a series of bolders, means for rotating the holdercarriage, and means forholding the carriage to present said holders successively in the delivering position.

14. An order-delivering device comprising a support, a rotary holder-carriage, a series of holders movable with the carriage, a drum connected to the carriage, a Weight, and a cable extending from the Weight and Wound upon the drum.

15. An order-delivering device comprising a hollow post, a rotary holder-carriage located at one side of the post and provided with a series of holders, a motor likewise supported by the post and arranged to drive the carriage, and stop devices for retaining the carriage in position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

(J. E. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, EDWIN E. VROOMAN. 

